VIOLET & DAISY
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Written and Directed by: Geoffrey Fletcher
Starring: Alexis Bledel, Saoirse Ronan, James Gandolfini, Danny Trejo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
MPAA Rating: Not rated
Selig Rating: Matinee
Runtime: 88 Min.
Violet & Daisy follows two teenagers, assassins, as they live their rather bizarre but touching lives. Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) are not naïve but at the same time I have to say that their grip on what the real world is really all about is rather tenuous at best. They kill people to pay for their lifestyle while living a life that is devoid of any direction other than “have fun”; except for their love of Barbie Sunday and her new line of dresses.
The story is told in vignette-like chapters which revolve around their current assignment to kill someone who stole from their boss. Passing the details of their assignment on is Russ (Danny Trejo) in a cameo. Their assignment is supposed to be easy. They always say that, don’t they?
This is where the story gets odd. The girls, having broken in while the man is away from his apartment, fall asleep on his sofa. Instead of killing them to save himself, he covers them with an afghan and sits down to read the paper and wait for them to awaken. Following the wasting of ALL of their bullets trying to kill him following a brief discussion out of the room, Violet goes down the street (following the gentleman’s directions to the nearest available seller of ammo) leaving Daisy and the gentleman to talk (giving us back-story on both of them). Violet has a tough time getting the ammo thanks to a band of robbers and a rival band of toughs.
The writer/director’s style is reminiscent of Tarintino’s storytelling in Pulp Fiction. At times I was a bit put off by it while at others I found it endearing. It is this dichotomy that prevents me from calling this a great movie. Is it worth watching? Yes, in a true art-house film way. It has love, honor, dedication and so many more feelings wound around the thread of the story that I think every person who watches it will see something a bit different according to their own personal history and attitude.
Movie Site: http://violetanddaisyfilm.com/
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn't paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!
